Power file safety device



Jan. 19, 1965 N. J. KRUG ETAL 3,166,366

POWER FILE SAFETY DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Newton J. CarbD. 62mm? and BY RagnzozdL.HLvm3 ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1965 N. J. KRUG ETAL POWER FIL SAFETY DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 3, 1963 IH g m! n J.

INVENTORS BY Raymomibflvare; mm, W! M ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1965 N. J. KRUG ETAL POWER FILE SAFETY DEVICE s Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 3, 1965 INVENTORS Newl'onel Mama at RaymandLAlmre;

Fa ed mam ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1965 N. J. KRUG ETAL 3,166,366

POWER FILE SAFETY DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 g IISVOLT 60W-J' /--7oa PlLOT LIGHT \r uR REVERSIBLE MOTOR DR 80 SAFETY CIRCUIT TRANSFORMER FUSE 32A 1 i 24 VAC. Ell r4 83 e1 73 72 56 I! If #Il II II II? RESET SAFETY IR RELAY 74 as 7 UR N. UP W f 4" J I D0W N f v 75 76 77 DOWNRELAY INVENTORS .the file or injuring a file operator.

United States Patent 3,166,366 PQWER FHIE SAFETY DEVICE Newton J. lirng, Canton, Carl D. Graher, (irrvilie, and Raymond L. Alvarez, Canton, Ohio, assignors to Diebold, Incorporated, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Fiied Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 305,990 9 Claims. (Cl. 312-223) of the housing and having safety devices for preventing 7 operation of the file when a drawer is extended into the opening.

The mechanized filing device or power file, which is commonly called an elevator file (such as disclosed in Patent No. 2,940, 810), has received greater recognition and increased acceptance because of the convenience of storing large volumes of record cards or other media. As a result of such acceptance, the more recent embodiments of the power file have increased vertically in size.

To obtain even greater storage capacity the card-carrying pans have been compactly stacked with a minimum of clearance which has created a problem in removing record cards or other filed media from the pans. By providing a removable drawer for each pan, ready access to the record cards may be had by pulling the drawer outwardly into the access opening of the file.

One dilliculty with a file having manually-operated drawers is the high frequency of damage to the file when the drawer is not closed completely. Moreover, a mechanized filing appliance having only one manuallyoperated drawer is very different from a file having two or more such drawers which may be opened simultaneously in an access opening in the file housing.

Files having an opened drawer and particularly two or more opened drawers involve the problem of returning all drawers completely to the retracted position before operating the file. Without safety devices where a drawer is not completely closed, subsequent operation of the file may cause the drawer to open at a place remote from the access window and cause damage due to stalling or jamming with other parts. Such other parts are frequently located at an inaccessible position within the file housing where it is difiicult to correct the problem. Accordingly, there is a need for a device which permits operation of the file only when all drawers are completely closed and latched in a retracted position.

It has been found that the foregoing difficulties may be overcome by'providing a safety circuit which permits drawers to be opened without subsequent damaging The circuit prevents operation of the file when one or more'drawers are partially open or in the unlatched position. In addition the circuit includes a trolley interlock control by which a circuit through the file motor cannot be closed until all of the drawers are completely retracted and latched in place.

Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a powerfile safety device which prevents operation of the file when one or more card-carrying drawers are not completely closed. 7 a

It is another object of this invention to provide a power file safety device which permits operation of the file only when all of the card-carrying drawers are completely closed. I

It is another object ofthis invention to provide a power file safety device in which one or more file drawers may Patented Jan. 19, 1965 be opened and the file cannot be operated until all of the drawers are subsequently closed, for otherwise any open drawer could subsequently cause damage to the file.

It is another object of this invention to provide a power file safety device in which an electric circuit through the file motor cannot be operated until all of the file drawers are completely closed and latched in closed position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a power file safety device in which each file drawer is provided with a latch associated with a switch which renders the motor circuit inoperative when the latch is released.

It is another object of this invention to provide a power file safety device in which each file drawer includes a separate switch which is normally open when the V drawer is completely closed and latched in closed position.

Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized filing devicewhich satisfies the foregoing problems in an inexpensive manner and with simplified maintenance and'operation.

These and other objects and advantages apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims may be obtained, the stated results achieved, and the described difiiculties and problems overcome and solved by the parts, elements, constructions, mechanisms, combinations, subcombinations and arrangements, which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, a preferred embodiment of which-illustrative of the best mode in which applicants have contemplated applying the principlesis set forth in the following description and shown in the drawings, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the improved apparatus includes a plurality of pans mounted between a pair of spaced pan supports for moving'the pans in an endless orbit of travel and for stopping a selected pan at an access opening in the housing surrounding the pans, a reversible motor operatively connected to the pan suppports, each pan having spaced end walls and horizontal interconnecting members between the end walls, a record-cardcarrying drawer slidably mounted between the opposite end walls of each pan, each drawer being horizontally slidable between extended and retracted positions through the access opening in the housing, latch means on each drawer and engageable with one interconnecting member and for releasing a drawer preliminarily to sliding the drawer to the extended position, an electric circuit including pan-selector switch means for selecting and stopping a selected pan at the access opening, the cricuit also including a contact strip within thehousing adjacent to the access opening, the circuit also including a switch contact on each pan and engageable with the contact strip, the circuit also including a latch switch on each pan connected to the corresponding switch contact, the latch switch being movable by the latch between opened and closed positions, at least one drawer being presentable at the access opening for a given stop, the latch switches for all drawersbeing contacted in parallel and through the contact strip, and the circuit also including relay means for opening the circuit through the motor upon release of any latch.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingd-rawings, in w FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a'power-operated filingdevice;

FIG. 2 is'a vertical elevational view. with an end panel of the housing removed to show, the relative positions of the access opening, the work counter, and the one 3 card-carrying drawer extend-ing through the access opens;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; I

FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a pan and record-carrying drawer with portions broken away, showing the drawer latch, taken on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 4, and showing the drawer in the open position;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 4,-and showing the drawer latch in latched and unlatched (broken line) posi tions;

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 77 of FIG. 5; 1

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the drawer in partially open positions (full and broken lines), and showing the corresponding positions 'of the drawer latch; FIG. 9 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is'an exploded perspective view of the pan and drawer; v p

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the electrical circuit for the file; and i FIG. 12 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 5;

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In FIG. 1 a power file is generally indicated at 1 and is a rectangular structure having an access opening 2 in the front wall thereof. A work counter 3ris provided across the lower end of the opening 2. Within the file (FIG. 2) a plurality of pans 4 are mounted on pan supporting means generally indicated at 5 which means are adapted to move the pans in a continuous orbit in clockwise or counterclockwise directions to present a preselected pan at the access opening 2. Each pan 4 carries a' drawer 6 which is mounted on the pan is slidable horizontally between retracted and fully open positions as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. 1

The pan support means 5 includes a pair of spaced channels 7, one at each end of the file 1, for supporting the pans 4. Each channel 7 is secured to a base frame member '8 on which a reversible motor 9 is mounted. The pan support means 5 also includes a continuous link chain 16 which is mounted over and between a pair of vertically spaced chain sprockets 11 and 12 on each channel 7. Each upper sprocket 11 is mounted on a stub shaft 13 (FIG. 2) which is journalled in the upper portion of the channel 7 in a conventional manner; The lower sprockets 12 are mounted on shaft 14 which extends between the spaced channels 7 with end portions journalled in a conventional manner. A drive sprocket 15 is mounted on the shaft 14 and a drive chain 16 extends around and between the sprocket 15 and a sprocket 17 attached to the reduction gear means 18 on the motor.

A pair of V-arranged pan support arms 19 and 20 sup; 7

port the pans 4 on the chain It). For that purpose, the inner ends'of eachpair of arms 19 and 20 are pivotally connected at 21 on the chain. The outer ends of the arms 19 and 20 are journally connected to a trunnion 22 (FIG. 4) extending from an end wall 23 of each pan 4. In addition the pan support means 5 includes a chain bracket or guide 24 the upper end portion of which is attached to each end wall 23 of the pan and the lower end of which is providedwith an inverted V-shaped notch 25 which travel around their orbit of travel. r

Each pan'4'includes the spaced end Walls 23 and interconnecting support members 26, 27, and 26. The end portions of each'support member 26-28 are preferably welded to thelower edges of the end walls.' Each end wall 23'is provided with a lower inturned flange 29 (FIG.

to which the end portions of the members.26-28 are welded in a conventional manner. As shown in FIG. 5 the members 26 and 28 are S-shaped channels which prevent deflection or sag ofthe pan when fully loaded. A U-shaped channel 30 is mounted in the member 28 for additional sag prevention. The support member 27 is a torsion bar which is preferably /2" by 2" in cross section to prevent twisting between the end walls '23 of each pan.

.The card-carrying drawer 6 in each pan includes a bottom wall 31 having upturned front and rear flanges which provide front and rear side walls 32 and 33. The upper ends of each wall are turned down at 34. Each drawer 6 also includes an end Wall 35 (FIG. 7) having a lower inturned flange 36'secured to'the bottom wall 31 and having an upper outturned flang 37. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 a drawer slide 38 is provided between the end walls 23 and 35 of the pan and drawer. The slide is of conventional construction and includes a pair of channel members 39 and 40 as well as a central longitudinal bar 41. The spacing between the channels and the bar 39-41 are maintained by spaced ball bearings 42 in a conventional manner. The channel 39 is secured to the end wall 35 of the drawer by bolt means 43 and the bar 41 is secured to a reinforcing plate 44b bolt means 45 on the inner face of the end wall 23 of the drawer 6.

As shown in FIG. 4 the drawer 6 is slidable horizontally between the fully retracted position on the pan and the extended position (FIG. 2). The broken line position of I the drawer 6 in FIG. 4 is a partially open position. In

48 in the latched position as shown in FIG. 6. The latch means 47 also includes a strike plate 52. The outer edge 53 (FIG. 6) engages an upturned flange portion 28a of the support member 28, and. holds or latches the drawer in the closed, retracted or latchedposition. The. drawer may be'pulled outwardly to the extended position by raising the lever 48 upwardly to the broken line position against the pressure of the spring 51, thereby raising the edge 53 of the strike plate 52 above the upper end of the flange28a. The latch means 47 also includes a cowl 54 which encloses the edges and ends of the lever but which is open on the underside to permit insertion of the operators fingers to raise the lever 48 upwardly to the broken line position. 7 p

The file 1 is provided with electrical interlocking means to prevent movement of the pans in their orbit of travel when any drawer 6 is in open position or is not latched.

Indeed, the interlocking means prevents operation of the file in any manner when any latch lever 48 is disengaged from'the solid line position as shown in FIG. 6. The lever 4-8 is provided with an arm 55 which extends (FIG.

4) to the right of the lever to contact a normally open.

switch 56 which includes a switch button 57. The switch 56 is locatedwithin the channel 28 (FIG. 6) where it is secured in place by a mounting bracket 58 and by screws 59. The interlocking means also includes a contact strip 60 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which extends along the access opening 2 within the housing of the file. The strip 60 is mounted in place by a backup member 61 which is secured to the channel 7 by upper and lower brackets 62 and 63 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 4, the strip 645 is insulated from the member 61 by a dielectric material 64.

The interlock means also includes a rounded head 65 on the end of an elongatedplunger 66 (FIG. 9) which is slidably mounted in a mounting block 67 A coil spring 68 is" provided on the plunger 66 betweenthe block 67 and thehead 65 which holds the-head outwardly against the contact strip. As shown in FIG. 4 the plunger 66 is connected to the switch 56 by a wire 69.

The upper and lower ends of the contact strip are turned outwardly at 70 (FIG. 3) so that each pan 4, as it moves into alignment with the access opening 2, comes into contact with the strip 60 through itscorresponding head 65.

The file is operated automatically by an electric circuit as shown in FIG. 11. The circuit is closed by a circuit breaker 70a. A reset switch 71 is then closed to operate safety relay 72 which closes the circuit through a normally open switch 73. The relay 72 also closes the normally open switch 74. A selector switch 75 may be operated to an up or down position to move the drawers 6 past the access opening 2. If the switch 75 is actuated to the down position, the circuit is closed through a normally closed switch 76 and a down relay 77 which relay opens a normally closed switch 78 to prevent operation of an up relay 79. Operation of the relay 77 closes a normally open switch 80 and the circuit through the reversible motor 9. The relay 77 also opens a normally closed switch 81. When the desired drawer 6 arrives at the access opening 2, the operator releases the manual switch 75 and the motorstops.

Likewise, if the operator closes themanualswitch 75 to move the pans in the'opposite'direction by closing the switch through the up position, the circuit through the up relay 79 is closed which opens the switch 76, closes a normally open switch 82, and closes the circuit through the motor 9. The relay 79 also opens a normally closed switch 83. Upon release of the manual switch 75 when the desired drawer 6 reaches the opening 2, the circuits return to their normal positions and the motor 9 stops.

When the drawer 6 is pulled out of its completely retracted position in the pan, the corresponding switch 56,

which is normally open, is closed to operate a safety relay 84 which in turn opens a normally closed switch 85. The circuit through the relay 72 is then open and the circuit through the switch 75 is opened by opening the switch 74. So long as the drawer 6 is open or the latch 47 thereof is not closed on the switch button 57, the corresponding switch 56 is closed. The file cannot be operated until the drawer 6 is completely closed.

The device of the present invention provides a power operated file having card-carrying drawers mounted in supporting pans. So long as the drawers are in the closed or retracted position within the pans, the file may be operated to bring the desired drawer to the access opening of the file. So long as the drawers are completely closed, the circuit through the safety relay 84 is open which permits normal operation of the file. When, however, one of the drawers at the access opening is partially open, the corresponding switch 56 is closed and the circuit through the manual switch 75 is open. The file cannot be operated until said drawer is completely retracted.

L-shaped cars 86 are mounted on and project upwardly and outwardly from (FIGS. 4 and 12) the upturned flange portion 28a of each pan-support member 28. The ears 86, as shown in FIG. 4, are spaced laterally at either side of the latch mechanism 47. Anti-friction means preferably comprising bolt-like members 87 having rounded button heads 88 and preferably formed of nylon or similar anti-friction material are mounted on the ears 86.

Whenever a drawer 6 mounted on any pan 4 is pulled out to an extended position, and particularly when the drawer is heavily loaded, the bottom wall 31 of the drawer rests and readily slides on the button heads 88 to maintain proper clearance space betewen the bottom wall 31 of the drawer and the pan support member 28 so as to prevent binding of the latch means 47.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations have been implied therefrom as such words are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact construction shown.

Having now described the invention, construction, operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful power file safety device and reasonable mechanical equivaelnts thereof obvious to those skilled in the art are set forth in .the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A power file safety device including a plurality of pans, means for mounting and moving the pans in a continuous orbit of travel including upper and lower turning portions and intermediate vertical portions, a housing enclosing the pans and said means and including a panaccess opening, a record-card-carrying drawer in each pan and being horizontally slidable between extended and retracted positions through the access opening, latch means engageable between each drawer and pan, the latch means when latched holding its related drawer normally latched in the retracted position and when unlatched releasing such drawer preliminarily to sliding the drawer to the extended position, an electric circuit including motor means for moving the pans through the orbit of travel, the circuit including pan-selector switch means for selecting and stopping a selected pan at the access opening, the circuit also including a contact strip adjacent the access opening, the circuit also including a latch switch for each drawer and pan and having a switch contact engageable with the contact strip, the latch switch for any drawer being movable by the latch means for such drawer between opened and closed positions, and the latch switch opening the circuit through the motor in one of said positions when the drawer latch means is unlatched.

2. The power file safety device of claim 1 in which at least two drawers are presentable at the access opening, and in which unlatching the latch means of any drawer at the access opening opens the circuit through the motor.

3. The power file safety device of claim 1 in which the latch switch is in the normally open position when the drawer is latched, and in which the open position of the latch switch permits the circuit through the motor to be closed.

4. The power file safety device of claim 3 in which the latch switch is normally closed when the drawer is unlatched, and in which the closed position of the latch switch opens the circuit through the motor.

5. The power file safety device of claim 1 in which the latch switch for each drawer is operable to open the circuit through the motor when the switch contact for such latch switch engages the contact strip.

6. A power file safety device including a plurality of pans, means for mounting and moving the pans in a continuous orbit of travel including upper and lower turning portions and intermediate vertical portions, a housing enclosing the pans and said means and including a front wall having a pan-access opening adjacent one of the vertical portions, a record-card-carrying drawer in each pan being horizontally slidable between extended and retracted positions through the access opening, latch means on each pan and drawer, said latch means when latched holding the drawer normally latched in the retractedposition and when unlatched releasing such drawer preliminarily to sliding the drawer to the extended position,

an electric circuit including motor means for moving the the motor.

7. The power file safety device of; claim 6 in which at least two pans are present at the access opening for a given stop, in which the latch switches for drawers of all pans present at the access opening are connected in par allel, and in which unlatching the latch means of any drawer present at the access opening opens the electric circuit through the motor.

8. The power file safety device of claim 6 in which the circuit also includes relay means for opening the circuit through the motor upon unlatching the latch.

9. A power file safety device including a file housing having an access opening therein, a plurality of pans, spaced pan-support means attached to the pan-s 'for moving the pans in an endless orbit of travel and for stopping a selected pantothe access opening, a reversible motor operatively connected to the pan support means, a recordcard-carrying drawer slidably mounted on each pan, each drawer being slidable between extended "and retracted positionsthrough the access opening, latch means for each drawer including a member on the drawer engageable with a member on the related pan, the, latch means when in latched position holding such drawer latched in retracted position and when unlatched releasing such drawer preliminarily to sliding the drawer to the extended position, an electric circuit connected to the motor and including pan-selector switch means for selecting and stopping a selected pan at the access opening,the circuit also including a contact strip within the housing adjacent the access opening, the circuit also including a switch contact on each pan and engageable with the contact strip,

' the circuit also including a latchswitch on each pan connected to the corresponding switch contact, the latch switch being movable by the latch means between opened and closed positions, at least two drawers being presentable at the access opening for a given stop, and the circuit also including relay means for opening the circuit through the motor upon unlatching one of the latches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Graber June 14, 1960 

1. A POWR FILE SAFETY DEVICE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF PANS, MEANS FOR MOUNTING AND MOVING THE PANS IN A CONTINUOUS ORBIT OF TRAVEL INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWR TURNING PORTIONS AND INTERMEDIATE VERTICAL PORTIONS, A HOUSING ENCLOSING THE PANS AND SAID MEANS AND INCLUDING A PANACCESS OPENING, A RECORD-CARD-CARRYING DRAER IN EACH PAN AND BEING HORIZONTALLY SLIDABLE BETWEEN EXTENDED AND RETRACTED POSITIONS THROUGH THE ACCESS OPENING, LATCH MEANS ENGAGEABLE BETWEEN EACH DRAWER AND PAN, THE LATCH MEANS WHEN LATCHED HOLDING ITS RELATED DRAWER NORMALLY LATCHED IN THR RETRACTED POSITION AND WHEN UNLATCHED RELEASING SUCH DRAWER PRELIMINARILY TO SLIDING THE DRAWER TO THE EXTENDED POSITION, AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT INCLUDING MOTOR MEANS FOR MOVING THE PANS THROUGH THE ORBIT OF TRAVEL, THE CIRCUIT INCLUDING PAN-SELECTOR SWITCH MEANS FOR SELECTING AND STOPPING A SELECTED PAN AT THE ACCESS OPNING, THE CIRCUIT ALSO INCLUDING A CONTACT STRIP ADJACENT THE ACCESS OPENING, THE CIRCUIT ALSO INCLUDING A LATCH SWITCH FOR EACH DRAWER AND PAN AND HAVINNG A SWITCH CONTACT ENGAGEABLE WITH THE CONTACT STRIP, THE LATCH SWITCH FOR ANY DRAWER BEING MOVABLE BY THE LATCH MEANS FOR SUCH DRAWER BETWEEN OPENED AND CLOSED POSITIONS, AND THE LATCH SWITCH OPENING THE CIRCUIT THROUGH THE MOTOR IN ONE OF SAID POSITIONS WHEN THE DRAWER LATCH MEANS IS UNLATCHED. 